Joshua can't walk, but for the first time since getting his wheelchair, he was sitting tall with pride in his eyes, trading in his wheels for some real horsepower.

"He actually got to do what other people can do that can walk," Labrada said.

Tony Barnes knows there is something special in the bond between a horse and a rider.

"The horses have no expectation of the riders or the people grooming them," he said.

Barnes runs the Victory Riding Academy near 48th and Madison streets.

He and his wife select and train horses for therapy.

"The gait of the horse is identical to the gait of a human," Barnes said.

He says when a human and a horse work together, the result is powerful.

"It gives them an opportunity to kind of see the stress relief that a horse will give and the excitement the kids have. Just seeing the smiles on their faces is just priceless," he said. "There's not price tag you can put on it."

The Victory Riding Academy also works with veterans and first responders, along with their families.